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The purpose of this study is to understand how critical care pharmacists (CCPs) coped during the COVID-19 crisis by investigating what sense-making and leadership processes were evident during the crisis.

Data from ten semi-structured interviews of lead CCPs across different National Health Service organisations in the UK was analysed through a thematic process.

The findings identified that strong pre-existing relationships and high levels of trust play a significant role in successfully navigating a crisis. Four sense-making processes seem important to building and maintaining these relationships and trust, namely, identifying cues for change; authoring and labelling; interpretation and storytelling; negotiation and deliberation.

The research also highlights the need for organisations to acknowledge the leadership roles undertaken by CCP teams and leverage this role by investing in leadership training, thereby increasing resilience and preparedness for future storms or crises on the horizon.

Neighbourhood Watch is a voluntary movement which brings people together with the aim of creating safer, stronger and more active communities. This paper aims to explore the contemporary position of Neighbourhood Watch in the UK through three key themes: the focus of Neighbourhood Watch schemes and how this extends beyond crime; Neighbourhood Watch membership and efforts to expand this beyond traditional residential boundaries; and the operation of Neighbourhood Watch, with a particular focus on technology-enabled methods.

The paper draws on data generated through interviews with key stakeholders working in the field of Neighbourhood Watch (n = 7) and interviews (n = 7) and two focus groups with Watch volunteers (n = 5) in the United Kingdom (UK).

Findings highlight aspects of Neighbourhood Watch that have remained the same – most notably the initial “roots” of schemes which have always looked beyond crime to tackle issues of health and well-being. In addition, issues of scale and diversity continue to present challenges within membership. However, there have also been changes, in particular the use of technology and moves to a model which offers more flexibility in terms of Neighbourhood Watch membership.

Findings position contemporary Neighbourhood Watch as a responsive and adaptable model; however, they also highlight how this must operate alongside traditional face-to-face, in-person methods to achieve meaningful community engagement.